Phantom
by Mangahacker
Summary: What if there was no Danny, only Phantom?
1. prologue

Disclaimer: "I do not own Danny Phantom" said while beating away lawyers with a stick

Phantom had changed.

The people of Amity Park could sense it. Even the people who had only seen him once or twice knew he was different. He still fought off the ghosts and protected the town (not that his enemies among the public would admit it). He still patrolled the sky and frightened the people. It was his aura that had changed, his demeanor, but most of all was his eyes.

His once soft and innocent eyes were now hard with a never ending diligence. Once they danced playfully, looking for distractions and fun while patrolling. Now they searched only for the next fight. These eyes were cold, challenging, ready to completely destroy any who dared oppose him.

Phantom had changed.

Tonight Phantom flew over the warehouse district; little more than a cluster of storage sheds in a town this size. He flew quickly over the rooftops, head turning methodically trying to find it. Phantom knew it was around here. He had felt it enter this dimension like siren in his head. An enemy was in his territory and he would destroy it.

A blue mist could be seen coming from Phantom's mouth as he suddenly turned left and phased through a large warehouse roof. He returned to the visible spectrum crouching in the middle of the work floor. It would come to him from here, it always did. This would be the last time.

"BEWARE! I am the Box Ghost!"

A month ago Phantom would have groaned, tonight he glared. Floating before him was a well rounded spectral factory worker sporting boots and overalls. It froze there in its signature pose, hands high, fingers flexed and knees bent. It waited silently for Phantom's response. None came...

"BEWARE!" the box ghost screamed expectantly.

"Leave" Phantom glared as he spoke in a hushed menacing tone, his hands glowing with untold amounts of ectoplasmic energy.

The box ghost seemed dumbfounded. No groaning, no witty banter, not even a thermos!

"I will never leave, this world is full of boxes. And boxes are mine to control, no box can resist my pow-

The poor box ghost was not given a chance to finish. His rant was cut short by a concentrated blast of glowing green energy to the chest. He was violently sent flying almost fifteen feet into the nearest row of crates. 'What did I do?' he wondered, 'me and phantom aren't friends but he would never attack without warning. He usually complains a bit then sucks him in a thermos and that's that. Nobody gets hurt, that hasn't happened in years.' Nobody had told the Box Ghost about what had happened, and it would cost him his afterlife.

Phantom was standing above him in an instant. He glared down at his victim with his new cold eyes and felt only anger. He had told him to leave, The Box Ghost had refused, now there was no mercy. Phantom charged a ghost ray in his hand and fired it into the cowering ghost's chest. The ghost ray was both continuous and powerful. It ate through the now screaming ghost and slowly, excruciatingly slowly burning him away into nothing. And the Box Ghost was no more.

Phantom then flew home. Not that anyone would call it a home, in fact Phantom himself would not call it a home. It was a haunt, a tie down. It was the one thing in this world that Phantom could claim as his. And there he sat, brooding in his obsession. In the Amity Park Cemetery, on a tombstone labeled "Danny Fenton".


	2. The End

Disclaimer: Hilarious disclaimer about danny phantom and lawyers

Chapter 1

The End.

It happened on a normal morning in the Fenton household. Well, normal for the Fentons. Danny Fenton sat at the dining table in the kitchen. Not much has changed since we first found him sitting at this table several years ago. His sister sat at the table beside him trying to ignore there parents who are as always, building a new invention.

Three years have passed since the accident; it is the beginning of Danny's senior year. He and Sam had started dating a few months back, he was getting better grades due to the fact that he could now stop the ghosts fast enough to get a decent night of sleep. Things seemed to be going well for our young hero. In fact he was even considering telling his parents about his phantom side. He really didn't need to protect them much anymore either.

Danny knew that his parents would accept him, he had known for years. He had kept his secret from them simply for the fact that he wanted to protect them. Danny knew from experience that the ghosts that plagued the town targeted those closest to him, and those who knew his secret even more so. He had never wanted to put them in any more danger than he had to. But that wasn't a problem now. Over the years the Fentons had really stepped up their arsenal. Even Plasmious had to step carefully around them at times.

It was this steady growth in technology that had Danny worried. Jack and Maddie had almost caught him on several occasions. Between the threat of being captured by them and their ability to defend themselves from Phantoms enemies, Danny was sure it was time to let the cat out of the bag. He only hoped they wouldn't be too upset about having hunted him for the past 3 years.

Danny was awoken from his thoughts by an exited shout by his jumpsuited father.

"ITS DONE!" Jack declared as he dropped a what seemed to be a large metal box on the table in front of Danny.

Danny eyed this new invention with caution. He had long learned to be ready for anything with these sort of things. But this seemed harmless enough.

"With this the towns ghost problems will finally be over, and we will destroy that pesky Invisobill!"

Danny chuckled at his father's choice of words, Jack and Maddie Fenton were just about the last people in town who called him 'Invisobill' anymore. Danny knew he should be more worried about this new device, but with Jacks level of excitement and the fact that it didn't appear that Maddie had been helping him on it led him into a sense of safety. Most inventions that Danny's dad worked on himself were duds or nearly useless. Sadly this was not the case today.

"This new machine will lock on to any ghost within a three block radius and destroy it automatically" Jack explained proudly.

"Automatically?" Danny and Jazz gave each other a worried look.

Now moving with a speed neither Danny or Jazz thought possible, without fudge involved, Jack Fenton did the one thing he would regret most in life. He pushed the on button of his new Fenton Ghost Turret.

The world seemed to slow down as the box on the kitchen table started to unfold. The top split and opened like a cardboard box, and a large ecto-laser appeared out of its inner workings, and locked itself into position. It then spun like a top until it was pointed straight at Danny. And then it fired one blast of highly condensed energy through Danny's chest.

Danny was knocked back into the far wall. He stood there leaning against the wall for what looked felt like an hour. His sister and father then watched as the light faded from his eyes and he slid down the wall leaving a large smear of blood.

And there Danny Fenton died.

* * *

><p>God Bless and untill nextime<p>

please review


	3. Grieving

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer now with added humor

Chapter 2

Author Notes: I apologize for how late this chapter is. Im lazy. Also im sorry that it isn't very action packed but I needed to set the stage for the next chapter.

Grieving.

The funeral was three days later. It was a beautiful ceremony, not that anybody really paid attention. It is always a sad day when a young person dies. It is extremely sad when they die by their parents hands. Nobody really blamed Jack and Maddie, but everyone knows that they were at fault. The people of Amity Park knew that their inventions were dangerous and an accident like this was bound to happen eventually.

Sam and Tucker both grieved for days. They skipped school for the first week, choosing rather to comfort each other than attend. Slowly, very slowly they resumed regular life. Sam became even more distant from society. She kept to herself almost entirely. She was no longer the outspoken girl that was well known at Casper High. Now no matter what, even when she was mocked or her vegetarian ways questioned, she simply ignored all human contact.

Tucker began to emerge himself even more into the world of tech. His eyes rarely saw anything but the screen of his PDA or computer. Without Danny or even Sam to hang out he completely threw himself into the digital world.

Jack and Maddie were inconsolable. They too blamed themselves for the accident. They spent the next weeks in a stupor, through police reports and questioning, the funeral, and visits from family and friends. Both were almost in a trance from the shear shock. Maddie was the first to wake up. She went back to doing house work in the weeks to follow the accident. She was almost normal. But this was to someone who didn't know her. Anybody who had ever met Mrs. Fenton knew that she was nowhere near her normal self. She no longer slaved over ghost tech. She no longer wore her signature blue hasmat suit, preferring to wear more 'normal' fashion. Her days were spent cleaning rooms that were already spotless and preparing meals that went uneaten. And anything that reminded her of her late son would send her into hysterics for hours.

Jack was fairing much worse than his wife. He didn't leave the couples room anymore than was necessary for basic hygiene and food. The only major trips he had made to the outer reaches of the house where once to the lab and another to Danny's room. His trek to the lab ended in the dismantling of many key features, such as the ghost portal, along with cutting all power to that section of the house. His trip to Danny's room was much less destructive. The large oaf of a man simply stood in the door way for several hours and cried silently. He then went back to his bedroom.

Jazz took leave from college for a few weeks but soon returned and buried her grief in her studies.

The rest of Amity Park could feel a difference in the air. The peace that seemed all too awkward because they knew the reason but couldn't put there finger on what was so peaceful about it. In truth it was the ghosts. Almost no ghosts had attacked the town for almost 4 weeks after the young Danny Fentons death. Some stayed away out of respect of there old foe. Others such as Skulker and Young Blood no longer had a reason to go to the world of the living, the one they went to fight was no longer there. The fact was without both ghost attacks and the Fenton parents driving and emergency ghost drills the town just felt far too quiet.

It was like the city itself let out a sigh of relief when the ghosts came back. First came Ember, she simply trashed a music store in the mall along with the guys in white before leaving with some new amps. The people who were brave enough to watch the fight from a distance claimed that the ghost seemed almost bored with it all. Neither the Fentons or Danny Phantom showed up for the fight.

After a time or two most of the more common ghosts got bored of how little resistance the small town offered them. Some, like Technus, moved on to bigger cities to have there plans foiled by other heroes. Most just went back to there afterlives in the Ghost Zone. The only ghosts that seemed to keep coming back where the small fries such as the Box Ghost, Kempler the Ecto-Puses and a few other weaklings that sometimes wandered out of the ghost zone on there own. One notable ghost still seemed to be in town. The Wisconsin Ghost could be seen occasionally flying high above the town almost like he was looking for something, or someone.

(Clockwork's tower)

The ghost of time floated effortlessly through the main chamber of his home. Gears spun slowly overhead and floating screens showed images of both the past and the future. Clockwork glided over to the largest of the screens as he changed from the form of a child to an adult. Displayed on screen was a partially formed ghost in the depths of the Ghost Zone. It was humanoid. And it looked young. It slowly morphed into a teenager. The ecloplasm that filled where the boys organs should have been was slowly covered in black as the ghost's skin began to form. In the middle of his chest a distinct DP symbol appeared.

"Soon you will return to them," Clockwork said to the air around him, "I can only hope that they are ready for what is left of you."


	4. First Sighting

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer now with added humor.

Chapter 3

Author notes: I really don't enjoy writing as a rule. Im writing this after reading all the reviews I've gotten. If you want more storie after this. I sugjuest you review. This is only a rough draft. I will probably rewrite this. But I was moved by all the reviews and wrote this for you.

First Sighting

Things had been quiet in Amity Park for almost three months now, with only the small fry ghosts attacking. The average person in Amity really didn't care for ghosts much and didn't pay near enough attention to them as facts would have it. Most couldn't tell a powerful ghost from a weakling. They all brought about the same terror in the helpless mortals. So the normal townsfolk never really noticed that town had quieted down. At most they noticed the strange lack of property damage.

The Guys In White had their hands full with the large number of animal ghosts and other annoyances. While they did get a considerable confidence boost from the fact that they now won a battle occasionally, they had slowly begun to notice the lack of high power entities. Somewhere in the back offices of their government building somebody probably made a big deal about it. But the strangely named field agents simply reported that it was their sudden increase in skill that made this difference. So not even the GIW really noticed the change.

In fact, the only person in town that actually both noticed and cared about it was one Valerie Gray. Valerie hadn't been very active in the battle against ghosts in the last year. She had finally come to the realization that Danny Phantom wasn't out to hurt the people of the town. She hadn't begun to think of him as good, she had just decided that his obsession didn't call for him to hurt people. And since she could no longer hold up against him in a fight, Valerie simply stopped hunting him. It had been over a year since she had used her ghost fighting suit for anything more that the occasional leisurely flight around town. With Phantom defeating ghost so quickly this last year The Red Huntress never did much but watch. But she kept up with any news about ghosts that she could, and she defiantly noticed this.

Phantom hadn't been seen almost three months. Nobody knew why. At least not anybody that cared to fill anybody else in. The Fenton's had no comment on the subject, the GIW simply assumed he was now too scared of them to show his face, and Valerie thought maybe he was fighting ghosts in the ghost zone now that there were only smallfrys in Amity. So nobody could really explain it but, Danny Phantom was nowhere to be found. That is, until today.

Phantom woke up. That is the only way to describe it. He simply woke up. Never before had a ghost been born in this way. Some ghosts have memories of when they were alive and some have only their base instincts and obsessions. But never had a ghost formed with his own mind already been in existence before death. In truth a ghost is a new being from a living thing. The act of dying changes any person and should they form a ghost it will almost always be an entirely new person. They might have their old memories. But their personality usually takes some serious hits from the change. Many times becoming angry and aggressive. But phantom was different. It wasn't his memories from life that filled his head. His own memories were there. But they were broken and made no sense. Phantoms mind was broken and scattered. He knew he had existed before this but his memories were all clips and fragments. Most were of fights. Fight after fight. This made sense to Phantom. He was a fighter, He would protect his town, It was who he was. But there was also other things. Rushed flights to the school, Pranks, memories of simply flying around because he could. These made no sense to the new Phantom.

So he threw them aside. Phantom squashed his memories that he didn't understand. He stepped into existence as a fighter and nothing else. Phantom was then seen for the first time in three months as he simply came in to existence over Amity Park. As he looked over the town from above as he stood on nothing, floating in standing position perfectly still. This was his. All of this was his and he would never allow another ghost into it. If they come, Phantom would destroy them.


	5. Mindset

Disclaimer: I do not own these peoplemons, only this story ideas

Chapter 4 Mindset

The small fry ghosts that had inhabited the town in his absence didn't stand a chance. Most were obliterated before they even knew he was there, and none managed to launch even the simplest of attacks. In fact, Phantom destroyed each one so quickly that word of his return never spread. There was simply no one to tell the story, no witnesses and defiantly no survivors. Ghost activity in Amity Park all but disappeared shortly after Phantoms return.

Once the ghosts that had taken up residence in the small town where cleared out most of phantoms time was spent at his haunt. The tombstone labeled "Danny Fenton" served as a chair to the confused specter. He didn't know why he kept returning to this spot or who's this grave was. It just felt right. The thought crossed his mind that this might have been his but he didn't care enough to look into it. He would simply use it as a base, waiting here for his ghost sense to either tell him that there was either a new ghost to destroy or a new portal open to patrol around. Occasionally these new "natural" portals would send out so many ghosts that hunting them individually was a waste of time.

Phantom almost smiled, now he was the hunter. He almost wanted Skulker to come back. Phantom would finally finish that fight for good. 'Why haven't I destroyed him in the past….', phantom growled to himself. He had plenty of opportunity to destroy the annoying specter. He could remember all his past fights with perfect clarity. The rush of air past his fists, the euphoria of landing a blow, the frantic beating of his heart…

Once again Phantoms train of memories came to a halt as he found something that made no sense. He was a ghost, as far as he could remember he had always been a ghost. How could his heart have been beating? And why had he always released the ghosts he fought? Phantom growled in frustration as he did what he always did in times like this. He buried the memories that didn't make sense by once again focusing on his obsession. He was a fighter, a warrior. He would protect this town. Nothing else mattered.

So there Phantom sat, brooding in his obsession days after he reappeared. Having already destroyed hundreds of animal ghosts and the box ghost to boot. The media had yet to realize his return and the town still slept in a semblance of peace. For now.

Author notes: Hey I just wanted to make sure that you understand what is left of phantoms mind before we go on. He only remembers the things danny did while in ghost mode. Nothing else. Ok? You got it? Just making sure, you will need to know that for next chapter. That's where it starts getting actiony!


	6. A Grave Side Meeting

I do not own Danny Phantom… if I did it would have been much darker.

Chapter 5

A Grave Side Meeting.

Jack and Maddie Fenton walked through the cemetery at a morbid pace. Seeing them you would have expected the sad music to start at any moment. But sadly in reality, there is no soundtrack to help with the pain. So they traveled in silence past the hundreds of tombstones searching for the one that mattered. For the first time since the funeral they were finally going to visit his grave, after a full three months.

The Fenton house had woken up a bit that morning. Jack was still in his near comatose state but maddie had made the first step towards recovery. Today when she walked past her sons room her tears were silent, today when she washed some of his clothes again and again she didn't fall to the ground weeping. Today she realized that something was wrong. So she decided that she would change it. Maddie went to her room and found her husband as he almost always was. Curled up on his side in bed. Not sobbing, not weeping, simply dead to the world. Jack made no complaint when Maddie pulled him up and ordered him to get dressed. She watched as Jack went to the closet and started to put on his standard orange jump suit. After he had dismantled the lab Maddie was sure Jack would never put on that suit again, but once again her husband surprised her. That suit was more a part of him than a part of ghost hunting. Maddie allowed herself a small smile, her first since she had heard the news, at the fact that somewhere deep down, her husband was still there. But that smile quickly faded when she saw how loose the spandex fit him. She only hoped that one day she would have her old husband back.

So Maddie was still in pain, and Jack was still in shock as they approached the grave. Maddie was the first to notice that something wasn't right. It was getting colder as they approached the grave. Too cold. The kind of cold that came when a ghost stayed in one spot, a haunt. But this was a cemetery and they hadn't preformed their usual exorcisms in over three months! A ghost could have been haunting any one of these graves. But why then did it only get colder when she went towards Danny's grave?

"Let's hurry Jack" Maddie announced knowing she would get no answer.

So Jack and Maddie Fenton topped the last hill and finally came into view of their son's grave. They were not ready for what they saw. Sitting on top of their son's grave was phantom, lounging on the ground leaned up against the large white stone of a tombstone. His messy white hair whipped in the wind and his neon green eyes stared up at the sky, a puzzled look upon his face. It was impossible to tell if he was lost in thought, or simply trying not to think.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ON MY SONS GRAVE!" jack yelled in a rage. An ecto gun appeared on Jack's wrist and he starting firing shots off at the ghost.

Phantom didn't even look up, the shots ricocheting off his head and chest. A silence passed as the sound of the tiny ectogun slowly whined, its power depleted. He looked up in boredom as the Fentons stood shocked. They were up against one of the most powerful ghosts on record, Maddie was unarmed, and jack had only the small lasers built into his jumpsuit. 'We need to get out of here' thought Maddie as she started to back away

"Jack we need to get out of here" Maddie said, "We can't handle him right now"

"I will destroy you inviso-bill! How dare you sit on my sons grave!" Jack was shaking in rage. All of the pent up emotion from the past months exploding in rage. This thing was on his son's grave! This monster, this abomination was mocking him. Jacks thoughts raced as the last hints of his coma like depression faded. Jack stepped forward and raised both fists, activating the tinny blasters on the back of his hands, tears streaming down his face. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART MOLICULE BY MOLICULE! I'LL DO IT FOR MY SON!"

Phantom stood up and inspected the two ghost hunters with his cold dead eyes. His face impassive, no emotion showing among his cool young features. Without even moving, Phantom faded from the world, slowly turning invisible before teleporting away.

Jack slumped and fell to the ground weeping.

"I will get him. I swear… I swear on my sons grave that inviso-bill will pay!" he screamed into the sky, pounding his large gloved fist into the soil.

And with that the Fentons returned home, and began the work of rebuilding they arsenal.

Sorry about any mistakes. This was a little rushed so there may be mistakes. Please review, its the only thing that inspires more chapters.


	7. The News Spreads

Insert disclaimer here.

Insert lame excuse for long hiatus here.

Chapter 6

The News Spreads

Tucker sat alone in his room, lights low and static blaring. A cable had come unplugged behind his desk causing a loud noise that he chose to ignore. It seemed to him perfect for the mood. Tucker hadn't been well in the time since Danny's death. He had at first found comfort in Sam, being close friends and sharing in this great loss. But as time went on and life continued, they no longer comforted each other. Sam had completely separated herself from humanity as a whole and now barely even spoke to Tucker. So Tucker had been left alone in his pain, completely devoting himself to his vast collection of tech.

Over the past three years helping Danny battle the ghosts that plagued their town, Tucker had quickly realized he was not a fighter. While Sam insisted on aiding Danny on the front line whenever possible, armed with whatever ghost weaponry they had hoarded, Tucker fell back on his technological skills to aid the fight. With access to the Fenton database and his own impressive home system, he had made a vast and powerful network of sensors and cameras all over the town. With this he was able to give Danny up to date info on his surroundings, enemy abilities, and the movements of ghost hunters while he fought. He was even able to detect the location of ghosts in town with a much greater accuracy than either the Guys In White or the Fenton's.

Needless to say, most of these systems where shut down shortly after Danny's death. Tucker simply wanting to forget what had been lost. So it was barely more than three months after Danny's death that Tucker sat alone in his room one Saturday morning when one of the few remaining systems started beeping.

Tucker barely noticed. He was tracing the circuitry in the back of his PDA looking for faults. There where none. The device worked perfectly. He simply kept checking. Numbing his mind and ignoring the pain, and the beeping. But slowly his concentration was pulled away from his work and to the softly glowing monitor in the corner. A sensor in Fentonworks had been triggered. The system had registered the labs shutdown shortly after the funeral and tucker had simply muted it. But now a higher priority alert overruled the muting. The power usage had skyrocketed. Not difficult as it had used next to none for months, but never the less the alarm blared.  
>Tucker slowly rolled his chair to the desk and inspected the screen. A small spark in his mind igniting. 'Why was Fentonworks up and running again? And at high capacity too. Had something happened? Was everybody ok? What where they building? Would it hurt someone else?...'<p>

With this morbid thought stirring his long sluggish mind, Tucker began rebooting his sensor network and pulling up records. He needed to know what had happened in the last few months. As he loaded the ghost activity records for his time absent he was shocked at the minute amount of attacks. But it was understandable with no portal and no Danny. When he reached the newest records though, he would have sworn his heart stopped for a moment. Then he picked up his phone and dialed Sam. Turning and running out of his room while the phone still rang, he left his monitor displaying a large red dot over the amity park cemetery.  
>-line break-<p>

Sam came to the Nasty Burger as instructed. Tucker had refused to say why but the passion in his voice had pulled her out her depression long enough to get her there. 'This had better be good. Tucker had better not be pulling some prank. There never funny. Usually just trying to get me and da-' Her thoughts broken in an instant. Shutting down completely she slumped into the corner booth of the aptly named fast food store. Simply pretending not to exist. She didn't even look up when tucker slid into the seat across from her.  
>"Sam."<br>Silence.  
>"Sam!"<br>She simply tilted her head up, revealing her empty violet eyes.  
>"You need to see this," Tucker slid his PDA across the table. The screen showed a map of the amity park cemetery. A part they new well from their time spent grieving early on. A brute red dot glowed on one grave in particular. The only grave that mattered.<br>Sam's eyes grew wide and color returned almost immediately as she processed what she was seeing.  
>"Is, Is this what I," her unused voice cracking with the strain, eyes filled with fear and hope.<br>"Somebody's been stopping all the ghost. Sam I think he's back."  
>Violet eyes met green in a determined stare.<br>"Let's go"  
>-line break-<p>

Fentonworks was humming with power as all of its inner workings where primed and started. Jack had waisted no time returning the lab to its former glory. But this time a few changes where made. The Fenton style had always been to shoot first and study the remains, but now that was gone. There would be no capturing. No dissecting. No study. The simple goal was the complete and utter destruction of Inviso-bill. In some corner of her mind Maddie was disturbed by the change in focus. But she was filled with rage and determination. Her husband was awake and had a focus again. And for now that was enough. As for Jack, he held no remorse for the old ways. He lifted his new weaponry to the workable with a satisfying grunt. When he was done, nothing would stop him from destroying that abomination. Nothing at all.

A/N wow look at all the reviews. I was just looking around my old emails and found a message about a review. Came back to check and whiteout me even knowing I had 125 reviews!? That's awesome! I will try to keep going if you try to keep reviewing. I might even go back and proof read a bit.


	8. An Unhappy Reunion

Chapter 7

An Unhappy Reunion.

Sam and Tucker sprinted over the hills of the cemetery. Sam's mind was a flurry of questions and hopes. She knew that it wasn't likely that Danny could be back, but the idea was too tantalizing to ignore. So she pushed her legs harder, pulling ahead of Tucker, trying to reach the young man she had chased for so long. But despite her excitement, she found herself drawing short of the final hill. She slowed to a stop at its base, standing still to catch her breath. Tucker followed shortly, panting as he came alongside her.

"Whats wrong?"

Sam flinched at his question. "I, I don't know if i'm ready," she admitted. Glancing down to her wrist she inspected the black bracelet she wore, remembering the man who had given it to her. It had been in honor of their first month together. Simple leather with a white emblem she had drawn herself. Then, taking a deep breath, she steadied her resolve. "Is he still there?'

Tucker looked at his PDA again before nodding. "Something sure is, A high level ghost putting out a large amount of energy. The highest on record too."

Sam looked to the top of the hill and nodded. She swallowed hard, and together they slowly advanced on their hopes. Approaching the crest, they strained for a glimpse of their lost friend. And as their vision cleared the wind blown grass, there they found him. Lounging against the tombstone, arms propped upon his knee, staring at the sky. "DANNY!" Sam squealed as she sprinted forward towards the ghost boy. She skidded down to her knees and threw her arms around him. Then pulling him away from the tombstone and into a tight embrace as Tucker approached, much more hesitantly. Sam sobbed into his shoulder for several moments thanking God he was back, ignoring both Tucker's and Phantom's silence. She felt the cool air that seemed to emanate from his form. His familiar, yet limp, shape in her arms. His white mess of hair waving in her face. But then, after a long moment, the silence was too much, "Say something you idiot!" She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him to arms length and looked him in the eyes. Horror struck her at what she saw there.

Phantoms cold dead eyes were what met her. Their neon green glow no longer felt warm and cheerful. Starring as much through her as at her. These eyes were hollow, and they held no recognition in them. Sam released his shoulders and stood as Tucker finally spoke. "Come on man, stop playing." He insisted, "Say something."

Phantom, still sitting on the ground, slowly glanced between the two friends. He then calmly stood, and turned to walk away, beginning to fade from sight. His progress was halted sharply as Tucker darted forwards grabbing his arm. "Snap out of it Danny!"

Sam watched as Phantom froze before turning his head unnaturally back towards Tucker. Another moment passed as Tucker stepped back in shock, losing his grip. "Danny! What's wrong? Its us." Phantom merely resumed his attempt to leave, fading away as he turned and walked away from the former friend. Tucker grabbed him again, spinning the ghost by his shoulders to face him. "DANNY!"

Phantoms eyes flashed with annoyance as he phased out of Tucker's grasp. Floating back and a few feet into the air he began to shine with an unearthly glow. The air grew still and light seemed to flee as the sky grew dark. "My name, is PHANTOM!" The ground shook with the power of his shout. Sam was forced to cover her ears and crouch to keep from falling. The earth rolled wildly and tombstones fell. Then suddenly the cry was no more as Phantom rocketed into the sky. His legs merging it to a ghostly tail as he flew out of sight.

A long moment passed before either friend found words to break the silence. Both stunned to the point of numbness. Sam found herself sinking from her crouched position and onto the ground completely. "Sam. What just happened?" Tucker asked. Sam's mind ran wild as she tried to process what had just happened. Danny was back. But it wasn't her Danny. He didn't remember her. Her fragile world began to crumble as she slid down to the ground. She didn't understand what had happened, or why. But she knew who did, and she would get her answers.

Vlad Masters was about to get a house call.

*Authors Note*

Hows it going guys? Its uh. Its been …. Whoops. But good news. Im BACK! ish. I dont know.. I make no guarantees OK. I enjoy coming up with stories but writing them down… not so much. But I am getting better. And i have a lot of ideas i want to hit you all with. I am hoping to eventually write a book (Non-Fanfiction of course). And I would love to use this site and you guys to help me refine my style before i start on such a huge project. So here i am. I am not dead. Horray!

But back to this story. I will warn you now. This was a oneshot. A tragedy. And even though you convinced me it was worth a full story, i am holding too that tragedy theme. If you are expecting a perfect happy ending…. shoo. Run while you can :)


	9. Answers

The front door to Vlad Masters' mansion bursted inwards as Sam's heavy boot connected in a kick that would have made any martial artist proud. She stomped her way into the well furnished parlor declaring

"Get in here you crazed up fruit loop!" Her demand lingered in the air as silence fell loudly on the room and Tucker poked his head in through the still open doorway.

"Ahhh if it isn't young Samantha Manson," Vlad called as he strolled into sight. "To what do I owe the.. pleasure?" His sharp eyes switching between studying the two teens and eyeing the shards of his broken door frame as Tucker darted in to Sam's side. "Tell us what's wrong with Danny!" Sam glared at the middle aged halfa, expecting a smug calculated response. What she got was much less. Vlad's face fell at the mention of the young Halfa. His plastered smile faded and his eyes would not meet Sam's. "Let's take this downstairs," he said, gesturing behind him. Sam and Tucker watched as Masters turned and walked into the darkened corridor he had entered from. A glance passed between the two friends before they followed the half-ghost, Sam stomping loudly. They turned through several hallways before descending down a badly hidden staircase. They came into a lab destroyed. Broken glass lined the walls, beakers and vials obviously smashed against them in fits of rage. Tables had been overturned and the large bank of monitors sat deactivated. As Sam took in the disarray of the once pristine lab, she noticed Vlad falling into a chair, his head hanging low, fingers running through his hair. She tried to keep her resolve. Gathering herself she stomped forward to the monster of a man in front of her. "Tell me," she forced, hoping her voice didn't shake. "Tell me what is wrong with Danny!"

Silence held in the air as Vlad slowly raised his head to meet Sam's gaze, his hand dragging down the side of his face. She barely held in a gasp at how hollow they seemed. Vlad had always stricken her as creepy, but now his gaze felt empty, broken somehow. "Nothing." He stood quickly and walked away to the bank of monitors, hands tossed out flippantly waving. "Nothing is wrong. You know, besides being dead." He stood there waiting for a response, examining a sparking cable end hanging from the terminals. Silence hung once again, until Tucker found his voice.

"We know that! But he's back. We found him at the cemetery, but he didnt even notice us." Sam shook slightly at the memory, having looked away from both Tucker and Vlad during their outbursts. The pain was so fresh now. She had buried it down deep and tried to hide it. But after seeing Danny, and having her hopes struck so harshly, it all felt so real again. Gathering resolve she didn't know she had, Sam returned to the offensive. "His ghost is back, we need you to help us save the rest of him!"

Vlad's reaction was immediate and booming laughter. Sam didn't know what she expected. But it wasn't laughter. At least not like this. His laughter before may have been evil or even crazy, but it was always the laughter of a man in control. Vlad Masters was a cold and calculating man who rarely lost control. His mind was always sharp and his emotions never left unchecked for long. Or so Sam thought. This laughter that echoed throughout the lab betrayed a madness that she had never seen in the billionaire before. She saw him through new eyes. She saw the lines and wrinkles on his face that had not shown just months before. His suit was frayed in places, cuffs worn thin from being pulled repeatedly. His appearance was only slightly disheveled, but Sam could not remember him ever having so much as a speck on his suit. Perhaps Vlad was worse off than she had thought. She shared a worried glance with Tucker as Vlad's erratic laughter slowly died.

"Save him! You want me to save someone from beyond the grave? If you're interested in raising the dead I suggest you find a priest. Because as far as i'm concerned, death is permanent." Vlad rose and gestured towards the exit. "Now unless you have something less ridiculous to discuss I think its time you left." Turning he moved to open one of the few remaining intact items in the room. A crystal bottle of amber liquid.

"Don't patronize us Vlad." Sam retorted, "We know you can't bring back the dead.. As much as we wish you could. We just want him to be back to the way he was, even if he is a full ghost now. He is still our Danny!"

"Thats right! We just need to get his memories back." Said Tucker. The duo glared together at the villan. Their bravado restored for a moment, feeling the conversation begin to flow in their favor. If only for a moment.

Vlad's eyes widened as he turned to look back at the teens before him, the bottle of whiskey slowly lowering back to the table. "Oh my God. You children really are that naive. You have been hunting ghosts all these years and you still don't get it do you. Did that fool Jack actually never tell you what a ghost is?" Sam reeled. The Fentons had put them through so many ghost lectures she had long since lost count. Of course she knew what a ghost was. They were the dead who couldn't move on. Well, thats what she assumed. The Fentons had put it differently. Tossing around jargon and science talk to explain them without having to explain the soul. But thats just what scientist did when they encountered something they couldn't explain like God or souls. Sure they had research to back it up, but they had been wrong so many times over the years she hadn't really put too much credit towards their claims when it came to anything more than what new weapons they were making.

"Don't tell me you children still believe some fairy tale about ghosts being lost souls or some other garbage." He practically spat the word 'soul'. Sam's cheeks flushed. She dodged the question. "Of course he told us. They're ectoplasmic entities of post-human consciousness."

"Verrry good Samantha." Vlad clapped sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Now why don't you explain what that means, hmmm?"

Sam opened her mouth to speak but found herself out of words. Her finger hung in the air as she had prepared to make a point. Did she really not know this?

"Dead people?" Tucker offered.

Vlad practically growled. "You insufferable fools. You and Daniel as well. Imbeciles and fools. Just like his father." Vlad's face fell. Then he returned to the table and the whiskey, taking a long swig before continuing. "After all you've seen and been through, you honestly think ghosts are nothing more than people who've died and stuck around for some reason!" Vlad returned loudly to his chair, whiskey in hand. "There really is no hope for you."

Sam stood stunned. If this were the old Vlad she would have assumed he was scheming. Some elaborate trap set to convince her that his lies were truths. But this was different. The man before her was broken. This was a man who had given up.

"Then what are they. If ghosts aren't what we thought, then what are they?" 'What was that in the park?' The last question went unspoken. She wasn't sure she wanted an answer.

Vlad rolled his eyes lazily towards Sam. She tried to glare daggers into them. But her eyes betrayed her as tears began to form and she broke her gaze. When she looked back after a quiet moment, Vlad's eyes were less sharp somehow. On anyone else she might have called that expression pity.

"Ectoplasm is, strange." He began slowly, turning in his seat to gaze at a green stain on the wall. "It exists everywhere in small amounts. Back in college we discovered it was a lot like gravity. A fundamental force that existed everywhere and affected everything is some small way. It is in its most simple form, a particle of pure energy. So small it doesn't technically exist." Vlad brought a hand up in front of his eyes and rubbed his index finger and thumb together. Like he was trying to pinch a grain of sand. "And yet it exists within every atom of matter. Now even some non-paranormal scientists have begun to take notice of it."

"You mean String Theory?" Sam jumped at Tucker's outburst. Taking her eyes of Vlad to notice her friend's excited face. This wasn't gibberish?

Vlad smiled slightly. "Yes, Maddie and I had been conducting practical experiments with it years before anyone else had even begun theorising to its existence." He exhaled loudly, seemingly lost in a fond memory for a moment. "We found that when ectoplasm is in its purest state like this, it is highly susceptible to conscious thought. Quite literally it was affected by mind over matter. The effects were minute, but it responded to the emotions of those around it. Gathering to and being shaped by intense feelings of joy or pride. But most of all anger." His gaze darkened. "When enough of these particles of pure ectoplasm gathered, and were tainted by a strong emotional trait, they would build enough energy to affect the physical world as we know it. Still barely noticeable under normal circumstances. Ancient cultures believed a skilled warriors could detect his enemies by the bloodlust they emitted. We theorized that they were most likely feeling the effects of these dark feelings and thoughts as they began to manifest."

Sam told herself she was imagining the chill that had formed in the air. "But for the most part, human emotion isn't capable of causing any real world effects under normal circumstances. With one exception. Should a person die during a moment of high emotion, their last moments will cry so loud, they can permanently shape the ectoplasmic energy. This is the moment a ghost is formed. Enough emotional energy gathers that an impression is left on the world. This impression seeks out more similarly shaped energy and absorbs it, until it forms a complete ghost. Most of these ghosts don't even resemble the persons who made them. Just aimless bodies of rage crying out for vengeance for things they don't remember."

Vlad once again slipped into silence as he took another swig from his bottle. Sam's head swam with memories of nameless fiends she Tucker and Danny had defeated over the years. Skeletons and blobs. They had never questioned them. Just happy they were easily defeated and then they went back to trying to live normally while they could. She had so many questions, but Tucker beat her to them. "So what about the others?" Tucker asked. "What about the ghosts with names and memories. The ones who seem almost, human?"

Sam stared at Tucker. He seemed so determined. So strong. She had barely been able to hold back her tears at so many reminders of Danny's death and here he was, standing tall and pushing for the information they needed. Sam was impressed. Her attention returned to Vlad as he began speaking again.

"There are a number of occasions in which a ghost may gain sentience. Most sentient ghosts are not actually post human consciousness. More like beings that were believed in by such a large number of people over such a large amount of time, that a ghost was formed from the emotional influence of the belief. Because of this we have ghosts like Clockwork and Pandora. These are usually the most powerful. For centuries they had people shaping ectoplasm into energy for them. Some even managed to make those of ancient society worship them, thus making themselves more powerful. Can you imagine it! Ghosts claiming to be the gods to the people who imagined them in the first place. Legends coming to life and enslaving those who made the legend. HA!" Vlad laughed a little too loudly, kicking his feet a bit. Sam noticed his cheeks were a bit flushed, and the bottle a bit too empty for her comfort. "And the other ghosts?" She asked. "The ones of individuals."

"Those are a bit more complicated…" Vlad started, after a moment of thought. "Ectoplasm will flow on its own. In some areas it exists in higher concentrations than others. Should someone die within one of these 'Hotspots', they will have more of their consciousness preserved. Amity park is the largest Hotspot in North America. Its why the Fentons decided to come here in the first place. Here ghosts and portals form more easily than almost anywhere else. Some of the ghosts you have encountered where from here in their lives." With this Vlad stood and turned on one of the wall mounted monitors. Then with a flurry of typing a picture of the box ghost appeared. Next to him a black and white picture of a large man moving boxes. "This annoying spectre being the most notable. He died in the thirties. A man of certain mental.. 'challenges'." Sam gasped. The trio had fought him so many times it was almost a game. Had they actually been hitting a mentally handicapped man? Vlad continued. "He had a passion for boxes and a job in a warehouse organizing their product. One night he stayed late one friday, wanting the stacks to be perfect or something. He somehow became trapped under a fallen tower of his beloved boxes. They didn't find the body until the next monday."

Vlad returned to his chair and faced the monitor. "I once captured him and asked him about his past. About his family. He doesn't remember. And he doesn't care. The fact is, no ghost does." He turned and met sam's eyes. He stared for a long moment, a small fire burning in his gaze. "Ghosts exist purely for their obsession. Even if they are preserved with their memories intact, they exist only for the obsession. They can not do anything that does not serve the obsession in some way. Even a conversation is impossible if it doesn't in some way connect with the obsession." With this he finished the bottle and swivelled his chair away from the teens. Throwing his bottle away with a loud crash.

Sam thought of all the ghosts they new. Trying to find some case where this wasn't true. Some exception that she could cling to. Anything that might mean Danny would be different. Frostbite? No, none of the Far Frozen could have ever been people. Poindexter? No again. Even when talking normally, he would always find a way to reference bullies in some way. Could it really be this way? Tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't accept it. Could Danny really be gone? But then, a thought.

"You still haven't finished. What about halfa's?" Vlad's chair twitched. Like he was about to turn, then stopped. "What happens when a halfa dies?" Sam stared expectantly at the back of his chair. It slowly turned. Revealing Vlad once again. "That is the question isn't it. Both Daniel and I have long wondered about that. He never asked me. Much too proud. But in my surveillance of him, I found he often asked himself that. It said as much in his journals." Sam wasn't sure if she should be angry that Vlad had read those, or shocked that Danny had actually kept one. He used to complain that Jazz was trying to make him keep one. Something about him getting the stress out.

"Sadly I never had an answer. For young Daniel, or myself. Now it seems, I do." The lab was once again silent. This is what they came for. She was about to get the information she was so desperate for. But did she want it? Looking around, seeing what had become of Vlad and his lab, she wasn't so sure. But it was too late now.

"Tell us," Sam answered.

Vlad met her eyes for a moment, then Tucker's.

A moment passed.

"OK".

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A/N TADA! My longest chapter by far! Wow. That took a lot. I hope you guys liked it. Now remember, nothing motivates me to write more than reviews! So leave a Review. I COMMAND IT! Or at least strongly encourage it. I cant make you. I dont know where you live. Yet.

CYA LATER!

God bless everybody!


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